Beihai Old Street (Zhuhai Road)
北海老街
A blend of Chinese and Western arcade architecture, formed after Beihai opened as a treaty port in 1883. The 1.4 km Zhuhai Road is lined with old British and French consulate buildings, alongside stalls selling fried snails and shrimp cakes. It captures Beihai's history and everyday street life.
The Old Street centers on Zhuhai Road, about 1.4 km long. It took shape after Beihai opened as a treaty port in 1883, during the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty. It is a testament to Beihai's history as a trading port. Two- and three-story arcade buildings line both sides of the street, blending Chinese and Western styles. Their façades feature Roman columns, arched windows and Lingnan-style plaster decoration. The ground-floor colonnades provide shelter from rain and sun. The street is often called a "living fossil of modern Lingnan arcade architecture." The Old Street and its surroundings preserve several modern buildings, including the former British Consulate, the Siemssen & Co. building, the French Catholic church, the former Beihai branch of the Qing Post Office (one of the earliest post office sites in China, now a postal museum) and the Maruichi Pharmacy. All of them are part of the "Beihai Modern Architectural Complex," listed as a national key cultural heritage site. The street has the Beihai Old Street Museum, cafés, handicraft shops and dried-seafood stores. After dusk, snack stalls set up selling fried snails, shrimp cakes, pork trotter noodles and cucumber salad with sand-crab sauce. It is the best place in Beihai to eat local snacks. The street is free to enter, and most museums are free or charge less than 10 yuan. Suggested route: enter from the eastern end of Zhuhai Road, visit the former Qing Post Office, walk along the arcades to the western end to see the Catholic church and the consulate buildings, then have dinner at Waisha Island seafood island, about a 10-minute walk away. Allow about 2 hours. Getting there: take the bus to the "Old Street" or "Zhuhai Road" stop. It is about 6 km from Beihai Railway Station, or about 20 minutes by taxi. Tips: some buildings along the street are still residences, so do not enter them without permission. Crowds are heavy on public holidays, so photograph the arcade façades in the morning. Ask about prices before ordering snails and other snacks. The seafood stalls on Waisha Island are more expensive than those on the Old Street, so choose restaurants with clearly posted prices.
Opening hours
All day (museum approx. 09:00–17:30)
Nearby sights
- Beihai Modern Architecture (Former British Consulate)
- Beihai Underwater World
- Beibu Gulf Square
- Waisha Seafood Island
- Beihai Ocean Window
- Qiaogang Street
- Fengjiajiang Wetland Park
- Guantouling National Forest Park